Eva Longoria Divorce: Who is Erin Barry? Did She Wreck Marriage?

Erin Barry who has surfaced as the other woman in Eva Longoria's divorce.

Eva Longoria’s marriage apparently fell apart after her dream husband Tony Parker fell for a soon-to-be divorced friend’s wife, Erin Barry. But what did she have that Longoria, one of Hollywood’s most glamorous actresses, didn’t?

Parker, 28, reportedly sent the 37-year-old mother of two, hundreds of racy text emails, or sexts.

Barry, ten years Parker’s senior, is estranged from husband Brent Barry, a former NBA basketball star who has been a close friend of the Parkers and a former teammate of Tony’s.

She filed for divorce from her husband of 12 years just last month. Was it to hook up with Parker? Or was she just a target of opportunity for the basketball star. [ad#Google Adsense]

Conceivably, Parker was attracted to her because she is a stark contrast to Longoria, a popular independent woman with a successful acting career and a far higher profile than her husband’s.

That may have cause Parker to seek solace in a woman who is basically behind-the-scenes, supportive, stay-at-home mom, willing to cede the limelight to a more famous husband.

The news of the relationship apparently came as a surprise to Brent.

“I feel horrible for my son. I’m in shock. I knew [Erin] was moving out of the house soon and she was the one that filed for divorce. This is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the former star’s father, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, told gossip Web site, TMZ.

The Parkers and the Barrys in better times

“[Brent] is going to be devastated. I can’t even imagine him going through this … the divorce was hard enough news,’ he added.

So who is Erin Barry?

The couple married in San Francisco in 1998, and moved frequently, while Brent played for six different teams in different cities before retiring last year.

For four of those years, he was Parker’s teammate on the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.

During the marriage, the couple had two sons, Quin, nine, and Cade, four. For the most part, Erin was a stay-at-home mom, and often felt she didn’t get the respect she deserved.

‘Moms need to be more supportive of each other,’ she told the San Antonio Woman in 2006. “Being a mom is hard work, and it’s taboo to admit that we’re not perfect,” she said, perhaps, tellingly.

Before the scandal, Erin was best know for her family and charity work. She has worked as a special advocate for abused and neglected children.

For his part, Parker remains tight lipped: “It’s a difficult time right now for me and Eva. We got a joint statement and everything else is our private life,” he told reporters after a team practice.

Longoria has since confirmed the split on Twitter:

“It is with great sadness that after 7 years together, Tony and I have decided to divorce. We love each other deeply and pray for each other’s happiness.”

About The Author

TheImproper Staff

Keith Girard is Editor and Publisher of TheImproper, New York City’s cutting edge arts, entertainment pop culture and lifestyle Web magazine. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of Billboard magazine and a reporter for the Washington Post among other media positions.